SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I'm re-reading alot of the titles I grew up with like Childhoods End. Sadly, technology and society has changed so much, the books seem odd to me now. Anybody else having a hard time reconciling modern technology with classic SF?

Well eventhough Snow Crash is not that old, about 20 years, some of the techology in there is dated like the use of video tapes.

This doesn't bother me much in general, mostly because I think "paleofuture" is a cool word. The exception would be near future books where a technological anachronism is integral to the plot, especially if it's something that could have been easily anticipated (e.g. Doomsday Book). Cultural anachronisms are a little more annoying when they take the form of overt stereotyping, but that rarely affects my suspension of disbelief, just my opinion of the author.

I find it so weird which books date and which persevere. Often technological shortcomings can be forgiven - whether it's things that the author didn't foresee or the fact that so much of what was classed as SF wouldn't pass muster these days (John Carter being inexplicably transported to Mars in his sleep? The inertialess drive (and pretty much everything else) in the Lensman books?

As with Dylan, I often have a harder time with cultural changes. The inherent sexism and racism in a lot of earlier 20th century SF is staggering (again, the Lensman-style "don't you worry your pretty little head" thing, but I also re-read Foundation recently and couldn't get over the constant use of phrases such as "scientists, along with their wives and families"). This is no different than reading any past literature, but sometimes the fact that it is supposed to be set in the future but has mores that are so obviously of the times can be teeth-jarring.

I think a good example of how different things age is that, in my opinion at least, Star Trek TNG is more badly dated that the original, especially considering their relative ages. While I think TOS was more deliberately socially ground-breaking, it's also that it the stories were more clearly allegorical and didn't try for realism (Greek gods, Nazi planet, etc), while as TNG tries harder to clothe itself as hard SF if comes unstuck more easily. That and the shoulder pads.

It seems a lot of folks approach art from a sort of 'eternal Now' perspective with no nod towards its original cultural and historical context. I personally do my best to approach any work from any era, if it's worth reading at all (and that's a whole other debate), on its own merits. The progress of tech and science bothers me hardly at all. OTOH, obviously those era-specific cultural tropes and artifacts such as racist and sexist stereotypes have to be acknowledged, too.
For me, it's really no different than reading a contemporary story whose stance differs from my personal sensibility, as long as there isn't the overpoweringly loud sound of a grinding axe.
I recall a very hostile review here on GoodReads of THE CRIME AND GLORY OF COMMANDER SUZDAL, a short story by one of my favorite writers of the 1950s-1960s, Cordwainer Smith and I couldn't help but think the reviewer approached the story with their hair on fire after reading up on QUEER & GENDER THEORY 101 and with no apparent notion that the story was written in the 1950s. I first read it in the 1970s as a teen and I saw the Klopts as tragic victims of Smith's pitilessly bizarre universe. I still do. Of course, that's just me.

I also just started re-reading the Pern novels. Just finished the first one yesterday in fact. The story is just as majestic and wonderful as it was when I read it so many years ago. McCaffrey's writing stands the test of time. I also am reading for the first time the John Carter Barsoom books. I do not find them strange or outdated, simply enjoy the wonderful stories as they unfold.

I use a little mental self-trickery whenever I read one of the older books like Lensman. I just tell myself that it is all happening in an alternate universe with an alternate history from our own. Lensman, for example, happens in a universe in which the entire women's lib movement never took place. This allows me to enjoy the book within the context of the author's own world rather than our own.

I just finished re-reading "I, Robot". The ideas surrounding the laws of robotics hold up well, but some of the technological references were amusing; the same with the slang in the dialogue of the characters. Still, I enjoyed them, and plan on re-reading many other books from my youth.

Jaq wrote: "I've been thinking of re-reading some of the Fantasy books I haven't read for years like the Pern and Shannara series' and have some trpidation that I may not see them the same as I did thirty year..."

I tried Shannara... it didn't hold up quite as well for me now, and I think I abandoned it halfway through.

I wouldn't mind reading some of the sci-fi 'classics' but have hated running into the -ist tropes. It often ruins a read for me. There are so many modern books I want to read that avoid those -isms that I end up there first. Still, I was recently pleasantly surprised by Bradbury.

Earthsea...wonderful books!

I just re-read McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy. Beautiful writing. That story hasn't aged a bit for me.

I found Earthsea holds up really well too. I was less enamoured by The Darkangel trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce. It was a lot more quest-y than I remembered and very much YA in the writing the overall story arc is still very good though.

I couldn't even make myself finish the first three Shannara books when I was 13, so I don't think I'll attempt that again.

I tried to revisit Shannara recently. That didn't go well.

I tried Donaldson's "Unbeliever" series a few years ago after loving it as a teenager. Ugh - didn't make it past the third chapter.

I haven't dared re-read Donaldson, because I fear I'd have the same reaction...

I'm reading Lord of The Rings again and Bradbury's Farenheight-541, such good stuff. Having a blast.

Oh but there are some great books mentioned here. I wonder what the average age of the readers above are :)

Evilynn wrote: "I haven't dared re-read Donaldson, because I fear I'd have the same reaction..."

I retread the Unbeliever series about 5 years ago when Donaldson started releasing the lat chronicles. Still loved it.

Christopher wrote: "I tried to revisit Shannara recently. That didn't go well."

While I always found the first trilogy great but slow reading. The other book in the series, especially the second series that starts with The Scion of Shannara, I wave retread and absolutely loved it. Reading the new Shannara book nowWards of Faerie? It's very good.